


It Won't Be Long

by yourereallyhere



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Doctor Clarke, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, I Don't Know How Long This Will Be, Meta, Mutual Pining, Post-Season/Series 05 Finale, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Tags May Change, first story so bear with me, possible future smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 23:11:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16229252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourereallyhere/pseuds/yourereallyhere
Summary: Bellamy and Clarke are exploring the planet they’ve landed on. They know they have a lot to discuss, but even on new ground, they never get a break, do they?*               *               *Clarke hated that fucking beard, almost to the point where she fantasized she could shave it off. No, wait. That wasn’t her job. It reminded her of every single thing she had missed out on, good or bad. It reminded her of the tough wall built by time spent apart, the one that so severely isolated her from her friends, the people she spent years wishing to see again, to hug again. But still, she couldn’t help but laugh like she used to in those calm days with Madi as the juices of the piercing red fruit he was devouring trickled down his chin, creating a sticky mess in his stubble.“What’s so funny, huh?” Bellamy turned his attention away from his partially appeased appetite and to the woman standing before him. He tried to keep a straight face, but the amusement spread to his eyes and Clarke knew that look. She knew it too well, even after all this time.





	It Won't Be Long

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh!! The first chapter of my in-universe season 6 multichap fic!! I’ll be uploading it onto ao3 and Tumblr. I’ve only planned out the first two chapters so I don’t have a full summary and I have no idea how I’m gonna continue this so if you have any suggestions, anything you want to see specifically, or just any general comments I’d love to hear them! Please let me know if you’d like to be tagged. Super excited for you all to read my first fic everrrr and hope you all like it xoxoxo
> 
> -L

Clarke hated that fucking beard, almost to the point where she fantasized she could shave it off. No, wait. That wasn’t her job. It reminded her of every single thing she had missed out on, good or bad. It reminded her of the tough wall built by time spent apart, the one that so severely isolated her from her friends, the people she spent years wishing to see again, to hug again. But still, she couldn’t help but laugh like she used to in those calm days with Madi as the juices of the piercing red fruit he was devouring trickled down his chin, creating a sticky mess in his stubble.

“What’s so funny, huh?” Bellamy turned his attention away from his partially appeased appetite and to the woman standing before him. He tried to keep a straight face, but the amusement spread to his eyes and Clarke knew that look. She knew it too well, even after all this time. 

Clarke teared her eyes away from his, uncrossed her arms and turned around. She kept walking up the narrow path overlooking the fields of grass. “Come on, Bellamy. You know we don’t have time for this. We have to scout the area and make sure it’s safe before waking everyone up. You don’t even know if this stuff is safe for us to eat! We have to take it back to the ship, we have to test it — and I don’t want Jordan to be on watch alone for too long, it’s just —“

“Relax, Princess,” He cut her off so nonchalantly she almost thought he had forgotten that they just fought a war, destroyed the only survivable land on Earth, witnessed their friends’ lives go by in a matter of minutes, and land on a new, unknown planet. She froze up at the familiar nickname; the small hairs on the back of her neck stood straight. She then shook it off, refocused, and continued up the narrow and contrastingly unfamiliar trail. This is how it was between them now: small recollections from their life before, seeping back into their life now through every possible crack, like a parasite so insistent it mutates and adapts to any obstacle in its path. It was terrifying: feeling as though they should have fallen into step one beside the other right away, but instead having to relearn the rhythm of the others feet. “They’ve been asleep for 125 years. What’s another five minutes?”

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly at this and she replied, “Yea, well, trust me I know how it feels to wait, and it’s not fun.” She only meant it as a joke, but he got angry thinking about all the time she had spent alone, not knowing if her friends would ever return, or if they were even alive. She sensed him stiff behind her. If that didn’t give it away, he sighed and began to say her name. “I didn’t mean it like that,” She continued promptly before he could. She tried to be assertive, to stop the conversation from going where she thought it would. She felt her voice begin to shake and her eyes begin to burn, but she kept at her pace. She hated how she couldn’t control it, this overwhelming sea of pure emotion that flooded her whenever someone brought up her time alone. Which emotion was it though? She couldn’t put her finger on it. Loneliness? Relief? Helplessness? All she could do was put on a brave face, and block it out, in the same way she had done her best to do for Madi in those long six years. 

Maybe Bellamy didn’t notice, or maybe he did. Either way, he didn’t accept her obvious need for a change in topic. He kept pushing her. He latched his palm to her arm and turned her around to face him. He needed to see her face for this. He needed to see her. For six years all he could do was close his eyes and pretend she was standing right there next to him. Oh, how he wished he could draw her on the ring, or have a picture of her, do anything to make sure no one forgot the color of her eyes, the shape of her nose, the sound of her voice. He needed to make sure Clarke Griffin was remembered as the hero he always saw her as. And now she was here. She was really, truly, standing right in front of him, with his big hand covering her small forearm. He could barely believe it, even after the events of the past few weeks.

He was close. Too close. She tried to subtly and softly yank her arm away from his grasp as to not hurt his feelings. But touching him hurt, and that was hard for her to hide. It wasn’t like before, when they could do it freely, when they didn’t think anything of it. Because it was  _ normal _ . They protected each other. They were friends,  _ best friends _ . Would it ever be how it was before? She turned to look at the fields beside them, at the sky above them, at the ground beneath their feet, anywhere but at him. And when she finally gave in, ocean blue eyes locked on his deep, brown ones, his gaze was unwavering, searching her for some clue to how she was feeling. It killed them both to realize how out of sync they had become. 

“I know you don’t want to talk about it. I know I wasn’t there for you in the way you wanted me to be. But I’m telling you now: I’m here for you, Clarke.” She wanted to pull away from the conversation but he pulled her back into it. “Things have been hectic since we got to the ground. We haven’t really talked about it. But it’s just us now. You don’t need to carry all this weight alone.” He was being sincere. She knew he was. He cared. The realization forced the tears she worked so hard to keep in to leak one by one. She reached up to wipe them off with her sleeve and was suddenly encompassed by Bellamy’s arms. A sigh of relief she didn’t know she was holding in escaped her lips. This was a different kind of touch, a reassuring one. She held her arms tight to her chest, letting her best friend whisper reassurances in her ear, smooth down her hair, and rub her back. She wasn’t really comprehending the words he said, but she didn’t need to. His deep, familiar voice was all she needed. It put her at ease for the time being. He was here. Maybe not in the same way he was before, but he was here. And for the first time in a long time, she felt safe. 

And then, something she hadn’t noticed before came into light. She pulled away, a confused look on her face. It was something he said. _ I wasn’t there for you in the way you wanted me to be _ . Something about the way he said those words… “Bellamy?” She backed away from him, but his arms were still holding hers. “Did Madi… What did Madi say to you?” She didn’t want to give anything away in case her suspicions didn’t turn out to be true. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed for hoping they could hear her, when it was now clear that they didn’t. She just… didn’t want to seem weak, or reliant. Or crazy.

Bellamy’s initial hurt as she pulled away turned to understanding as he chuckled, “That’s between me and the Commander.” When he saw Clarke looking very unamused, one eyebrow so high it almost reached her hairline and arms crossed over her chest, he pulled his arms back to run his hand through his hair and thought of a way to tone down his earlier  —  125 years earlier  —  conversation with Madi. “Well, you know, that you care about me, and uh, she reminded me that I’ve made mistakes to protect the people I love too.” Their eyes met. Was she still one of those people? “And she also mentioned that you called me on the radio. Every day. For six years.” She knew it. She let out a long, exasperated groan.

“Of course she did,” she moved both arms to her waist and started up the trail once again.

“Clarke,” He stopped her. “I’m sorry.”

She couldn’t listen to this anymore. It was too much. “Please, don’t. I knew the consequences. I knew what I was sacrificing. It was a long time ago. Please, just let it go.”

“I need you to hear this, Clarke,” he echoed the words she had told him so many years ago. It sent shivers down her spine. “I really am sorry.  Things have not been going our way since… since forever. Every day that we were on that ring we thanked you for what you did for us. You gave us life. And I know it didn’t seem appreciated, but trust me, there wasn’t one day where I didn’t think of you… where we all didn’t think of you.” She gave him a slight nod that assured him she understood what he was saying. 

“Well we’re all here now. I mean  — most of us are here now,” She had to hold herself together. “I’ll take over mapping. Keep collecting the fruits and plants,” She called over her shoulder. No matter how much she tried, how much she begged her subconscious, she couldn’t push the swirling thoughts out of her mind. Being so close to someone again after so many years, she thought it would feel strange, and on many levels it did. With Bellamy though, she couldn’t help herself but smile. Maybe along with this new world, she’d get her old friends back.

 

They had hiked a few more miles when they heard it: a deafening growl that shook the ground they stood on. It was impossible to tell where it had come from, as it seemed to engulf them with its intensity and rage. They caught each other’s eyes, making a silent agreement to stay still and quiet. The two crouched down where they were, making themselves as small as possible. The ground to the right side of the trail was elevated, acting as a barrier, and there were some bushes and leaves in the area, but there was no cave and no pit to hide in. This was, after all, a new planet, over a hundred years away from their broken one. There was no telling who or what they might encounter. Twigs snapped and leaves rustled to their right. Both heads snapped in the direction of the sound. Still quiet, holding in their gasps of awe, they witnessed a stampede of beautiful creatures, unrecognizable from any of the earth skills books they had read on the ark, and definitely unlike anything they had actually seen. 

These creatures were built big and strong, like horses. Their legs were slender and long, reminding Clarke of the two-headed deer she had seen upon her arrival to the ground. God, that seemed like ancient history. The creatures were covered in what seemed to be hairs, longer than would have been on a deer or a horse, so they drifted in the wind, but not long enough to hold them back as they ran with incredible speed and agility. The tails though, those tails made of that same hair reached to the ground, flying behind them while they raced through the forest. Their feet were not hooves, as expected, but bird-like with claws. One would expect this to slow them down, but it looked as though it only increased the force they used to run. Their heads were large and round, and had big beaks. Clarke and Bellamy hadn’t noticed it at first, but at their sides were huge wings that covered practically their whole bodies. It was incredible. But the most shocking aspect was the color. Every inch of those creatures was the purest white they had ever seen. There was not one blemish, not one flaw.

The pair was brought back to reality when the land grumbled again, this time under a louder growl. While the creatures were amazing, they were scared. They were scrambling to the edge of the forest; they couldn’t fly here. The trees were too dense. But Clarke knew where they were headed: over the grass fields. She stood up and started running towards the creatures. She got close, but not too close, and ran in the same direction. She was falling behind, there was no doubt about that, but there were so many of them that everywhere she looked, she found more of them. “Clarke!” Bellamy hissed behind her, “Are you insane?” She knew it was stupid, but for once her body was racing faster than her mind could and she let herself go. Bellamy, of course, was right on her tail. “Clarke! What are you doing? We have to get back!”

“I don’t know about you, Bellamy, but I am not running back to the ship in the direction of whatever that thing is.” There was no arguing with her, he knew that. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try. 

“We’ll hide until it leaves. Or we can take another route. Clarke, please, this is ridiculous! You don’t even know if these animals are friendly.”

“I know I’m not dead yet so that’s a good sign, don’t you think?” She called behind her.

“Yet…” he repeated. They reached an open grassy area on the top of a mountain looking over another field that seemed to go on for miles. It was a continuation of the one they had seen on their way up the mountain. This part of it had a huge, flowing river running through it. And man, was it a sight for sore eyes. The other mountains surrounding were unbelievably tall in comparison to the field they surrounded. The two suns were high above them, casting different shadows on the world below, while still giving so much light that it reflected off the water and sparkled in all different directions. 

The creatures lined up a few at a time and prepared to take of into the bright sky. As the first few took off Clarke stopped in her tracks and started at the ginormous wings that spanned across the horizon. She turned to the creature closest to her and held out her hand, making quiet noises to get its attention. Bellamy had caught up to her by now and couldn't believe what he was seeing.  _ How could she be so irresponsible? Doesn’t she think? _ He stood right next to her and put her hand on her shoulder cautiously, “We have to go, now.” His tone of voice was stern. She didn’t move from her fixed position. “Hello!” He said louder, “Let’s go!” He tried to pull her away and the sudden movement frightened the creature who was intently staring at her. It stood up on its hind legs. Bellamy jumped in front of Clarke. As it came back down, one of its claws skimmed Bellamy’s thigh. He winced in pain and held his leg as blood trickled down.

“Bellamy!” Clarke reached out to him. 

“This is what happens when you don’t listen. We have to go! Do you believe me now?” He was practically begging.

“It’s miles back to the ship. You can’t walk like this. I have a med kit in my bag but we can’t stay here. There’s only one way.” She looked out towards the creatures flying through the air. “Up.”

She continued making quieting noises at the creature, calming it down, and eventually it even let her pet it. It seemed to… like her. “Atta girl, shhh, it’s okay, I’ve got you,” She whispered to it. Bellamy was in shock. That thing just sliced open his leg, making him bleed all over his only pair of pants, and Clarke is playing Mommy with it. Just great. 

“Bellamy,” She spoke to him in a level voice without turning around to face him. “I know it hurts, and I’ll help you, but right now I need you to listen. When I tell you to, I need you to hop on its back for me. I’ll keep it calm just, please. Almost all of them have taken off and I want us far away from whatever is making them run.” He nodded in admitted defeat as he positioned himself by the creature, clutching his backpack with one hand and his leg with the other, as if it would make the burning sensation go away. Clarke kept speaking in hushed tones, bringing the creature’s head lower and lower until most of its body was almost touching the ground. Bellamy began to wonder how the fuck Clarke learned how to do that when she urgently said, “Now. Carefully.” He wrapped his unhurt leg around the creature and Clarke soon followed, climbing on right in front of him. She held onto its neck, and he held onto her, and within a matter of seconds, they had jumped off the edge of the cliff.

 

They couldn’t help but laugh and squeal as they flew over the picturesque landscape, leaving the shady forest behind. The shooting pain in their calves after the long hike up the mountain and the fast sprint through the stampede began to settle but they didn’t care. Even Bellamy, who had used the sleeve over his jacket to cover his leg for now, didn’t seem to be deterred by his gash. Clarke wooed and cheered as the creatures wings cut through the blue sky. She even tried to let go and put her hands up in the air, quickly realizing she would have nothing to keep her from falling down to the ground which looked miles away. This received a tight grip and a worried, “Hey!” from Bellamy. After all, he was holding onto her and if she fell, he would too. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling upon seeing the fascinated look on Clarke’s face. A real smile, teeth and everything. The wind was blowing her hair in all directions, and the strength of it pushed tears out of her eyes. They weren’t tears of sadness, nor tears of joy. Just the pure liquid from her eyes being controlled by wind. She felt free, more free than she had felt in her whole life. No one could take this moment away from her. 

The creatures landed one by one at the riverbank to rest and bath in the sun’s rays, and to drink some water. Clarke hopped off, and then helped Bellamy get off, awkwardly, careful not to move his leg too much. He thanked her, but she had already turned her attention back to the creature as soon as he touched the ground, showing gratitude with praise and affection. The creature enjoyed it almost as much as Bellamy enjoyed watching it. “We have to build trust.” She could feel him watching her. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she? I think I’m gonna name her Shanen. Maybe Shan for short. Means happy in Trigedasleng,” she beamed up at the creature. 

“I know what it means. I hate to be a mood buster but will you help me with my leg?”

“Get some water, Shanen. I’ll be right back. Bellamy’s a little grumpy because you gave him a little scratch on his leg. Isn’t that right, Shan?” She spoke with a voice one would use to speak to a baby, or a puppy. Bellamy knew she was making fun of him.

“Ha. Ha.” Clarke slung one of Bellamy’s arms over her shoulder helped him hobble over to the edge of the river. She sat him down on a patch of grass. Shanen followed close behind them, bending down towards the water to quench her thirst. Clarke quickly got to work, pulling the med kit out of her bag. Bellamy rolled his left pant leg all the way up. Upon examination of the injury, she told him that the cut wasn’t deep enough to need stitches, for which he was grateful. He wasn’t really in the mood for Clarke to repeatedly plunge a needle through his skin right now. She took out an antiseptic, cream, some bandages, and a radio. 

“Here,” she handed Bellamy the radio. “We’ve already been gone for hours, and I don’t know how long it will be until we get back. I’m gonna clean up your wound, and it’s gonna burn. Just call Jordan and tell him we’re okay. Focus on that.” 

He pressed on the talk button, “Jordan, come in.” He hissed as Clarke sprayed the antiseptic over his leg squeezed the cream out onto it. 

“I’m here. Is everything okay?” Jordan’s voice came crackling through the radio. Clarke began wrapping the bandages around his thigh. 

“Yes, we’re fine, it’s a long story but we just wanted to check in and — .” The same loud growl they heard before echoed between the mountains once again. It came from the direction they had came from, and while it caused both Bellamy and Clarke to jump, the creatures seemed unbaffled by it. 

“I guess we’re far away enough so it doesn’t pose a threat,” Clarke offered.

“What was that? Are you in trouble?” They had forgotten Jordan was still listening. He was worried.

“Don’t worry about it. We’re okay, I promise. I’ll keep you updated and we’ll try to be back soon. Don’t leave the ship and keep the doors closed.” Bellamy warned into the radio.

“Okay, stay safe.” And then he was gone. Clarke had secured the bandages by now and had taken out two granola bars and a bottle of water. She offered one to Bellamy, drank some water, and offered him some of that too. He accepted both gladly, tired from the most pleasantly eventful day. 

“Here, give me your flannel. I’ll wash the blood off and leave it out to dry. The sun is going to set soon. I mean — the suns are going to set soon.”

Bellamy chuckled and was going to tell her she didn’t have to do that. But she was offering right? And anyways, his leg hurt like a bitch. He couldn’t exactly reach the river himself. He complied, slipping out of his flannel and giving it to Clarke. He didn’t mind staying in his undershirt. It was warm and there didn’t seem to be too many bugs in the area. Bugs! “Hey, Clarke!” He called out to her, a wide grin on his face. “There are bugs!” 

She grinned back over her shoulder, still crouched down from washing his shirt. “It’s crazy right? It’s so… earth like.” Well, at least how it was before. “This water, it’s fresh.” She stood up and walked back to where Bellamy was sitting, hurt leg stretched out, good leg pulled into his body like a half criss-cross, leaning back on his hands, soaking in the sunlight. “I wonder what Eligius III has been doing. I hope they aren’t too far. We need to make a plan. You can’t walk too much on that leg. We need to go back to the ship. I know the general direction. I’m hoping Shanen will be kind enough to take us.” As much as Bellamy wanted to sit here forever, without a care in the world, he knew she was right. “Let’s take a few more minutes to rest. I’ll warm up to Shan a little more and hopefully we can get going. If she won’t it’ll be a few more hours until we get back, especially since we’re not on that trail anymore. We’ll never make it before dark, and I don’t want to have to set up camp in the middle of the woods with Pauna two-point-oh,” Shanen was pecking down at the ground, probably hunting for worms or whatever critters slithered underground on this planet. Clarke approached her carefully, not wanted to bother her as she ate. The other creatures were unphased by Clarke’s presence, although Shanen was closer to Bellamy and Clarke than the rest of them. As she lifted her head up and showed signs that she was finished eating, Clarke tried to reach up to her. She ruffled her feathers causing Clarke to retract, but in a matter of seconds she was reaching up again to pet the top of her head. Shanen leaned into her touch and Clarke whispered to her, “Hey baby girl, do you think you can take us back home — I mean — to the ship? We can show you the way. It’s just, my friend Bellamy over there is hurt and we can’t walk that whole way back before dark. You think you can help us out?” Clarke walked to her side attempting to show her that she wanted to get on. Shanen bent down to make it easier for her. “Bellamy! Come, she’s gonna help us! Grab my pack, please.” Bellamy limped over with a pack on each shoulder, and followed Clarke up onto Shanen’s back. Clarke may have heard him mumble something about “… crazy… ” and “how do you even…” and “… make me do these…” but she ignored it. 

Once the were both securely seated on Shanen’s bare back, Clarke patted her side with the palm of her hand, and they were off. Clarke was pressed between Bellamy’s legs, leaning forward so she could tilt Shanen in the right direction. The second trip was as exhilarating as the first. They couldn’t believe it was real. The hike that had taken them hours by foot was finished in 10 minutes by flight. They landed gracefully in front of the ship. Clarke took a fruit she picked out of her backpack and offered it to Shanen who took it happily. 

“Hey, Clarke. You know I meant what I said before, right? About being here for you?” Bellamy asked her.

“I know. Thank you.”

He gave her a simple nod and readjusted the backpack on his shoulder. “How do we know she’ll stay? We could really use the ride,” 

“We don’t. I guess we don’t really know anything anymore,” she replied with a half-smile, and turned away from him, towards the ship.

  
  



End file.
